Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) instruments are often preferred over traditional open surgical devices due to the reduced post-operative recovery time and minimal scarring. Laparoscopic surgery is one type of MIS procedure in which one or more small incisions are formed in the abdomen and one or more trocars are inserted through the incision(s) to form pathway(s) that provide access to the abdominal cavity. The trocar is used to introduce various instruments and tools into the abdominal cavity, as well as to provide insufflation to elevate the abdominal wall above the organs. The instruments and tools can be used to engage and/or treat tissue in a number of ways to achieve a diagnostic or therapeutic effect. Endoscopic surgery is another type of MIS procedure in which elongate flexible shafts are introduced into the body through a natural orifice.
Various robotic systems have been developed to assist in MIS procedures. Robotic systems can allow for more intuitive hand movements by maintaining both natural eye-hand axis. Robotic systems can also allow for more degrees of freedom in movement by including a “wrist” joint on the instrument, creating a more natural hand-like articulation. One drawback with robotic systems, however, is that the systems need to be set up for each surgical procedure to accommodate a variety of factors, such as type of the procedure, surgical approach, patient anatomy, patient physiology, operating room configuration, operating room space, equipment parameters, staffing limitations, and staffing preferences. The setup for each surgical procedure can be time consuming in order for the personnel setting up the system to account for the various factors for the surgical procedure at issue. Surgeons may have preferences for trocar placement and surgical instrument setups for MIS procedures performed without robotic systems, but these instrument setup preferences can be difficult to translate to setting up for use with robotic systems, particularly when the surgeons have no or limited experience with robotic systems. Additionally, incorrect trocar placement and instrument setups can cause any of a variety of problems during performance of the procedure, such as collisions between tools, patient intolerances, inability to access target anatomy, and procedural inefficiencies.
Another drawback with robotic systems is that moving parts of a robotic system can collide with other moving parts of the system and/or with other objects (e.g., tools, tool mounts, personnel, etc.) during the course of a surgical procedure, e.g., as instruments are used on a patient. The collisions can damage the moving parts of robotic system and/or the object(s) with which they collide, can cause patient injury, and/or can prolong the surgical procedure while possible adverse effects or the collision are assessed and/or addressed.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved methods, systems, and devices for robotic surgical systems.